"EAGLES OR CHICKENS?"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte
DEUTERONOMY 32:7-12
Often in the scriptures the figure of the eagle is used to denote swiftness,
lofty flight, strength, and beauty. God reminded Israel in Exodus
19:4 "You yourselves
have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings,
and brought you to Myself." In 2
Samuel 1:23
we read, "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, and in
their death they were not parted; they were swifter than eagles, they were
stronger than lions." Psalms
103:5 tells
of our God "Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth
is renewed like the eagle." And our text, Deuteronomy
32:11 again
reads, "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young,
He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions." When
the right time comes, a mother eagle knows that her eaglets must leave
the nest so she stirs it up; that is, she begins to tear it apart, to destroy
the security and warmth. She makes the nest nearly uninhabitable so the
young will leave it. Can't you hear the protestations? "Mother, what are
you doing? We're on a mountain peak; we haven't learned to fly yet! That's
a loooonnnnng way down there! Please, just let us stay in the nest; don't
make us leave." But the mother is relentless. There's a truth for us to
recognize here.
SOMETIMES, GOD MUST STIR UP
OUR NEST:
Sometimes God, in love and sovereignty, must strip away from us all those
things which are our "security" and "status" and "pleasures" and "comfort
zones" in order to bring about the accomplishment of His will in our lives.
This is not cruelty at all, but for our own good.
We are all, to some degree, concerned with what pleases us, what makes
us happy, what brings us success and riches and comfort and ease. We want
nice things (and there's nothing wrong with that in itself), we want to
live unruffled lives (and within bounds, there's nothing wrong with that!)
But! Sometimes those are the very things that keep us "nest bound!" Those
are the things that keep us from soaring to the heights with Jesus Christ!
Those are the things that tie us to earth and prevent our wings from unfolding
and taking us to flight! They are wrong things if they
Become our idols occupying the greatest part of our affections and we love
them more than we love God.
Cause us to put our trust in fading material, earthly things rather than
in Christ Jesus.
Lead us to seek treasures on earth to the neglect of treasures in heaven.
Max Lucado, a Christian writer, said, "Here is a key question. How far
do you want God to go in getting your attention? If God has to choose between
your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope He chooses?"
He continues, "Please understand. His goal is not to make you happy. His
goal is to make you His. His goal is not to get you what you want; it is
to get you what you need." (Gentle Thunder 4, 5). That is:
God is more interested in our character than in our creature comforts.
God is more interested in our edification than in our ease.
God is more interested in our salvation than in our serenity.
So, whatever it takes, God is willing to stir up our nest to get us to
learn to trust Hm and to fly just as the mother eagle seeks to get the
eaglet out of the nest. She will hover over the young and flutter her wings,
then she'll rest. The eaglet seeks a hiding place but none is to be found;
the mother, wanting her baby to launch out, keeps fluttering and then resting.
The young eaglet, perhaps to escape the beating wings, during one of mother's
rests, climbs up on her back -- which is just what she wanted him to do.
With the young eaglet clinging to her back, she takes off! "Whoa! This
isn't working the way I thought it would!" thinks the young eaglet, but,
like it or not, he is about to learn to fly. There is a lesson for us there,
too.
GOD WANTS US TO CLING TO HIM
WHEN THINGS ARE TURBULENT:
God, too, hovers over us to unsettle us and get us out of the nest, out
of our comfort zone, our earthly security, even through trials. Not that
He actively causes all our sufferings and pains.
Sometimes we cause them ourselves by foolish choices and unwise living.
Sometimes other people bring us pain and loss, intentionally or carelessly.
Sometimes God does bring pain and suffering as a chastening and discipline,
but always in love.
At any rate, we don't need to spend time thinking out the "Why" of our
suffering but the "What will I do with it?" We must make a choice; you
see: tribulation, suffering, pain, loss, injustice, sorrow, poverty, sickness,
anguish, opposition and whatever else agitates and frightens us, will do
one of two things:
It will drive us from God in doubt, despair and displeasure.
It will cause us to scurry up onto Him for protection and help.
God's ever gracious invitation yet goes forth: Psalms
50:15 "and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue
you, and you will honor Me."
May our trusting response ever be that of David in Psalms
57:1 "Be gracious
to me, o God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in Thee; and
in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes
by."
With the baby eagle perched on her back, the mother launches out. She flies
higher than the clouds, higher than the eaglet ever thought of going. Just
when the little bird is settled down and enjoying the flight, mother darts
out from beneath him. With weak, unused, untested wings beating frantically,
the eaglet heads for the ground at record breaking speed. Then, the mother
swoops under him and flies higher again with him perched on her back as
before. The process is repeated until the young fellow's wings catch the
wind and hold him aloft. The mother hasn't left the baby -- and God doesn't
leave us.
GOD CATCHES US WHEN WE FALL AND LIFTS US BACK UP:
Read verse 11
again: "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young,
He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions."
What a precious Father we have; His intent is to get us out of the nest;
His intent is to teach us to fly; His commitment is to be there with us
through the process!
To Abraham God spoke, "and behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever
you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you
until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis
28:15.
To Moses He said, "my presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus
33:14.
To Joshua: "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your
life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail
you or forsake you. Joshua
1:5.
The Psalmist said, "And those who know Thy name will put their trust in
Thee; for Thou, o Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee." Psalms
9:10.
"For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance." Psalms
94:14.
Through Isaiah, God said, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously
look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will
help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah
41:10.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us, "He Himself has said, 'I will never desert
you, nor will I ever forsake you.'" Hebrews
13:5.
Perhaps you've experienced the uplift of trusting God; perhaps you are
still on the downward spiral wondering when the impact will take place.
Sometimes we are up, sometimes we are down; but the Lord is constant. He
is unchanging. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!
When you are falling fastest, sinking lowest, God swoops to lift you if,
in faith, you'll cast yourself upon His mighty wings!
After the first flight, the mother eagle takes the baby back to the nest
for shelter and recuperation. In God's own good time, He will take you
through whatever is troubling you to His rest and peace. Now, whatever
is going on in your life: you've lost a job, your marriage is rocky, your
health is the pits, your children are acting like aliens, your tasks are
wearying, Isaiah's words are still true: Isaiah
40:31 "yet
those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up
with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk
and not become weary." We can be eagles who fly to heaven's height, or
chickens that can't fly to the top of a tree. So which are we, eagles or
chickens? Trusting Jesus makes the difference, all the difference in time
and eternity. As that frightened bundle of feathers cast all of himself
onto the strength of his mother, so let us cast ourselves, our cares, our
worries, our sins upon the One Who is able to bear it all. Let's cast all
onto Jesus, and in faith, let's trust and obey.
Eagle stuff from various sources including encyclopedias